Q&A with Jessica Dilling on the importance of radon testing
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The St. Joseph County Department of Health is giving out hundreds of radon test kits through its Radon Free Homes Initiative in observance of National Radon Action Month. After smoking, radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer deaths in the U.S.
With radon levels at almost four times above the national average in St. Joseph County, Inside INdiana Business spoke with St. Joseph County Environmental Health Specialist Jessica Dilling about radon testing requirements, signs to look out for and how to take advantage of the county’s radon initiative.
This article has been edited for brevity and clarity.
What exactly is radon and why is it so harmful?
Radon is a gas that is underground in the soil. You can’t see it, you can’t smell it, you can’t taste it, so it’s very hard to detect. It seeps up through the soil into a building, houses, schools, whatever, and it gets trapped inside the house without a way to get out. If enough of it gets trapped over a lengthy period of time, then it can lead to lung cancer. Specifically, every year in the U.S., almost 21,000 people die of radon-related lung cancer, and that’s why it’s such a big deal.
It’s found all over the world, in every state in the U.S., but radon in St. Joseph County is higher than the national average. Nationally, about one in 15 homes have elevated radon levels. In St. Joe County, it’s one out of four homes that have elevated radon levels. So it’s a bit of a problem here.
Radon is a problem that a lot of people either have never heard of at all or know very little about. But it’s a very real threat and so if more people are made aware of it, then they will know what to do to keep themselves safe from it. It’s just such a simple thing to get a test for your home and within a few days you can be assured whether your air is safe from radon or whether you need to take steps to get your radon out of your home and make it safe for you and your family.
Dilling speaks about why radon is a silent killer.
Is there a specific reason why it’s so high in Saint Joseph?
Certain states have higher concentrations and within each state, certain areas might have a higher concentration, mostly due to soil composition. With that being said, one house on a street could have an elevated radon level, and the next door down or two doors down, might not have a problem with it. So it could also depend on the construction of the house, how many open cracks or whatever the radon has to get into the house. It just depends on a lot of different factors, but soil composition is a high reason why different areas have different levels,
Since it’s concentrated in the soil, how does this affect farming?
The ambient air outside has a radon level of about 1.3, or less. When you’re outside, there’s so much open air that it dissipates without being trapped and you’re not exposed to it because of all of the wind flow. In buildings, it enters and becomes trapped, because a lot of the time your windows and your doors are usually closed. So there’s no way that the air containing radon can get out.
What’s the recommended duration between radon tests?
There are short term radon tests that you can run for 48 to 96 hours. Then there are also continuous radon monitors you plug in, connect it to your phone and it monitors your radon levels year round. You can get averages, because radon will fluctuate over the course of the year, depending on the weather outside and a lot of different factors. The two-to-four-day test is a good way to know if you are at risk for elevated radon levels.
If you do a short term test and the results come back and they’re fine, then the Environmental Protection Agency recommends that you test every two years after that. Now, even if you get a radon system installed, they still recommend that you test every two years, just because certain things might happen. Maybe you update your HVAC system or renovate your basement, that stirs up the air flow, the piping and can affect the radon levels there. So either after a home renovation or HVAC installation, they recommend it. If not, then every two years.
And why is radon exposure particularly dangerous for smokers?
The leading cause for lung cancer is smoking. Let’s say you have two people living side by side, and they both have elevated levels of radon in their home. The smoker is going to be at even more of an increased risk for lung cancer because of the smoking. Whereas, if you’re a non-smoker, you can still contract lung cancer over time through radon exposure, but your risk factor is less because you’re not smoking.
How can people test for radon?
You can get a radon test kit or the continuous monitor just about anywhere. The short-term ones are going to be more cost-effective. They run probably around $15 for a short-term test, whereas the year round radon monitor might be upwards of $100 or $200. Right now, we have a program in St Joseph County, where we are able to provide those short-term tests for free for our residents in our county.
We had a pilot program for the last six months, and we were able to provide over 300 tests. We have the grant money right now to pass out several hundred more this year, and we’re hoping to get it renewed yearly. Our goal would be for everyone who owns a home to get it tested for radon.
When you’ve tested and it shows elevated levels, what are the next steps?
The next step would be to contact a mitigation specialist. On our website, we have some links to area ones that are available to come out to your home, take a look at what you might need and give you an estimate. Then they will be able to install a system, usually in your basement, unless you have a crawl space or a slab, then there are other ways to do it. But it only takes a few hours for someone to install a system to allow that radon to bypass your home and go outside where it’s safe.
Does the county offer any help with installing the remediation system?
Yes. We are able to provide some remediation systems for free, depending on income level. We’re working right now to finalize the policy for what that level is.